Infant Eczema, What Works to Get Rid of It??

Updated on
April 27, 2007

R.W.
asks from
Feasterville Trevose, PA
on April 12, 2007

18
answers

My 4 month old has flare-ups of eczema. My 4 year old also had this prob, and eventually outgrew it. I know about all of the talk about topical steroidal creams, but that was the only thing that worked for my 4 year old when he was an infant. I have tried everything (non-steroidal) like Eucerin, Aquaphor, hydrocortisone, you name it. Some that claim to help make it flare-up worse! I really do not want to have to use the steroidal cream, but I do not want him to be uncomfortable. Any help/advice on this topic is much appreciated.

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J.K.

answers from
Pittsburgh
on
April 27, 2007

My 1yr old son gets flare ups and i use prescription cream to get it calmed down, then i use Aveeno Baby wash for eczema and the Aveeno Baby cream lotion for eczema. i think it works great on it. I do apply it every day and i also started bathing him every other day to avoid drying out his skin. :) good luck.

J.S.

answers from
Pittsburgh
on
April 13, 2007

Hello, I have eczema but it doesnt get to bad sometimes i get cuts on my hands gets real bad, but my little brother who is 5, got it bad!!! every doctor is different., my mom started taking him to a dermogolist *spelled it wrong* but they gave him this certain perc cream..seems to keep it alittle controlled. 1st time my little bro got it a doctor said try vasoline...drys it up. I hope something works, having it sucks!!! good luck let me know if you need anything else.

Jes

P.S
see if you can use avenno or cetifel <~~~ wrong spelling too, but its usually in health beauty aisle at walmart

More Answers

M.R.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 12, 2007

First, I would try a completely fragrance-free skin care regimen for the baby. Fragrance-free soap, lotion, even his detergent. Basically, the fewer things you put on his skin, the better it will feel (if the eczema has an allergic component). Also, and I admit I don't know if they're approved for infants at this stage, there are two non-steroidal prescription creams for eczema on the market, Elidel and something else like it. You could ask his pediatrician or a dermatologist if it's really severe.

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E.M.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 13, 2007

R.-
I know your pain!! I had been through SO MANY products for both my 8 year old and my 20 month old. My son was prescribed Elidel which works but once you think the flare ups are done and you stop using it, they come right back. I heard about Cetaphil on the Today show, went and bought it that day, and within 24 hours, my daughter's skin was baby soft again. My son's skin still acts up, but it has kept the flare ups down to a minimum.
Good luck to you!!
E.

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L.D.

answers from
Reading
on
April 13, 2007

Hi R.. Just wanted to let you know I am a consultant with Arbonne and we have amazing, botanical products just for that. I can send you a sample so you can see if it works out. Our co has been around for 27 years and are result oriented products. If you are interested please let me know I would love to help. Good luck....L.

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E.S.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 18, 2007

First, be aware that many kids have reactions to fragrances, dyes, harsh chemicals and animal by-products. Try to find something that doesn't contain any of the above. I too use Arbonne, because they are pure, safe and beneficial. Their baby oil is made up of natural oils ( no mineral oil which is motor oil refined 7x) and works really well to get rid of eczema. I mentioned animal by-products which a lot of skin care companies use in their products, and which tend to be a cause of irritation to children's skin. These animal by-products come in the form of fat that is skimmed off the top of water after dead, diseased animals, roadkill and euthenized pets are taken and boiled in these rendering plants. Skin care and cosmetic companies are the number one purchasers of this rendered fat that they use as fillers in their products. Look for stearic acid on the label. If the products are vegan-certified (which Arbonne is) then the stearic acid used in those products comes from plants.

I know I just rambled on and on, but essentially what you need to do is eliminate the cause of irritation, which in a lot of cases is due to sensitivity to fragrances, dyes, chemicals and of course the animal by-products.

I hope you find something that works for your child, and that is safe for them as well.

If you would like to try Arbonne, just email me @ ____@____.com and I will get you some free samples.

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C.S.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 12, 2007

I think someone else asked this same question not too long ago and my answer was by far use Arbonne baby products. You can actually put the diaper cream they have on severe eczema and it clears it right up. And it is all natural which makes it even better. I don't sell it but I swear by it. I believe other mommy's on this site sell it though and you can always ask one of them for a free sample to see if it helps before you purchace it.

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L.B.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 12, 2007

I had just responded to a similar question. Our Arbonne babycare line works for ezcema on both adults and children. My son had the same problem a few months ago. I have been using the Arbonne baby wash and lotion on him and it cleared up. I can send you a sample if you would like.
Thanks,
L.

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C.C.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 12, 2007

I don't know about getting rid of it since my three year old still gets it but i thought the same of the cream (steroid) they made hers worse what i do is when it flares up i give her a aveeno oatmeal bath and rub her down with natural shea butter and within three days she is back to normal and she loves it because it doesn't sting, she gets to take a long playful bath and it makes her feel better.

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J.S.

answers from
Pittsburgh
on
April 13, 2007

Hello, I have eczema but it doesnt get to bad sometimes i get cuts on my hands gets real bad, but my little brother who is 5, got it bad!!! every doctor is different., my mom started taking him to a dermogolist *spelled it wrong* but they gave him this certain perc cream..seems to keep it alittle controlled. 1st time my little bro got it a doctor said try vasoline...drys it up. I hope something works, having it sucks!!! good luck let me know if you need anything else.

Jes

P.S
see if you can use avenno or cetifel <~~~ wrong spelling too, but its usually in health beauty aisle at walmart

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J.K.

answers from
Pittsburgh
on
April 27, 2007

My 1yr old son gets flare ups and i use prescription cream to get it calmed down, then i use Aveeno Baby wash for eczema and the Aveeno Baby cream lotion for eczema. i think it works great on it. I do apply it every day and i also started bathing him every other day to avoid drying out his skin. :) good luck.

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V.A.

answers from
Allentown
on
April 13, 2007

My daughter is now 5 she had eczema so bad on her face I was afraid of scars. My Dr had the miracle cure for my daughter. At night I put zinc oxide based cream (diaper rash ointment) on her face. In the morning I wash her face and put baby oil gel on her face. Sounds too easy to work but it did for her. I used all the steroid creams and expensive moisturises but this it the only combination that worked for her. I hope you have luck with it. The nice thing about it is that it is very safe even for babies and faces. I hope this helps!

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C.Z.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 13, 2007

Hi R.,
I have a year old and a 9 month old that can suffer with eczema. If you are using johnsons head to toe body wash, i would advise you to try something else. I was told to try dove (we use the deep moisture or sensitive skin body wash, but anything dove is good)with my son when he was 1 year old and the results were amazing. i used the johnsons on his hair and face and the dove on the rest of him and the eczema. if i tried the johnsons on his body again at any time the eczema would start coming back the next day. my daughter started with eczema younger than my son and i didn't want to use anything that she might put in her eyes, so i tried Arbonne but she got a rash from that. We are now using Johnsons bath stuff (it's in a white bottle and the liquid is redish) and neither of them have bad reactions to it. it's not as wonderful as the dove, but at least we don't have to worry if it gets in their eyes. If we do need cream i get a big tub of Acid Mantle from behind the pharmacy counter (it's $35 a tub) and it works great. the doctor prescribes it with a hyrocortizone powder in it, but i found that it works really well without that too! I tried the Eucerin stuff too and they didn't work for us either.
Good luck.

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S.L.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 12, 2007

both my kids had eczema as infants my son had it over most of his body the pedatrician we had at the time wanted us to try other things before she would give us a perscription she told us to limit the number of baths we would give since bathing drys the skin and can irritate and cause a break out. second was to only use frangrance free products shampoos, baby baths, landry soap, etch. aveeno makes great frangrance free products. she also told us when we did give him a bath use the oatmeal bath. which worked wonders after the first oatmeal bath. the eczema cleared up after the first hour after bathing. she also told us to slather him up with vasaline after every bath and just before bed time it will help to put the oils back into the skin that the babies skin is lacking. after that he never got a break out again and after his first year he hasnt had a break out since. my daughter on the other hand that didnt work for her we put byenodril on it sorry about the spelling. which helped keep her from itching at it until it cleared up but it would come back about a week later so we ended up haveing to get the cream which is called hydrocortisone valerate cream. which cleared hers up and she hasnt thus far had another break out I'm hopeing she is over it.

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C.G.

answers from
Allentown
on
April 12, 2007

Here's what works for us- limited # of baths- gentle laundry products without added chemicals, scents, etc. And the cure-all at our house is crisco- the kind you cook with. It's nothing but a food grade moisturizer. When my daughter was a tiny baby, our pediatrician recommended it and it works like a dream for us.
Good luck!

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A.L.

answers from
Philadelphia
on
April 15, 2007

Wow..there is a lot of great advice...we have been prescribed elidel as well....i only feel comfortable using it on the really bad flare ups....otherwise i stick to the hydrocortisone and vaseline the rest of the body as a moisturizer...it is messy but good...babies aren't dirty..they don't need soap...cetaphil is the way to go....baths can be every other day or go longer is you can....laundry...do dreft and double rinse....good luck!!!